Mae Young
Johnnie Mae Young was an American professional wrestler. She wrestled throughout the United States and Canada and won multiple titles in the National Wrestling Alliance. Young is considered as one of the pioneers in women's wrestling as she helped to increase the popularity of the sport throughout the 1940s and during World War II. In 1954, she and Mildred Burke were among the first female competitors to tour post-war Japan. Beginning in 1999, Young had a high-profile "second career" in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later Entertainment/WWE). Young was part of a recurring comedic duo with best friend The Fabulous Moolah in appearances on WWE televised events. She is a member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum and the WWE Hall of Fame. Biography In current times, staying in one vocation for 20 to 25 years seems like an eternity for most. Even in the rough world of sports-entertainment where every match could be a Superstar's last, a quarter-century is considered an incredibly lengthy career. Take that and triple it, however, and you have the span of one of the greatest female competitors to ever lace up a pair of boots — Mae Young. Johnnie Mae Young began her professional career in 1939. Already an incredible athlete — she was on her Tulsa, Okla.-based high school wrestling team and was a national champion softball player — Young embarked on her chosen livelihood at the tender age of 15. Throughout the 1940s, she blazed a path for future female grapplers everywhere; with World War II in its midst, many territories that didn't feature women's wrestling began to open up those doors, which were kicked down by Young and her contemporaries. She remained one of the most active and successful female Superstars throughout the next few decades. Young was the first U.S. Women's Champion, and her lengthy rivalry with the legendary Mildred Burke was one of the most storied of the time. In fact, in 1954, she and Burke were among the first female competitors to tour post-war Japan. Young's legacy was further cemented the day she decided to help train future Superstars. One of her pupils would go on to become arguably the biggest icon in women's wrestling — her long-time friend, the late Fabulous Moolah. Young and Burke both helped train Moolah, who would become the longest-reigning champion in sports-entertainment history and the first female WWE Hall of Famer. Another of Young's most famous students was Ric Drasin, a former rock and roll guitarist and sports-entertainer who was also a one-time training partner of Arnold Schwarzenegger. While she continued to compete, Young's career was relatively unheralded until the turn of the 21st century. In 1999, she and Fabulous Moolah made an appearance on SmackDown; although it wasn't the most successful — Moolah was laid out by a guitar while Young felt the Figure-Four Leglock — it began a "second career" for the two legends. Over the next few years, Young made semi-regular appearances on WWE programming and was never afraid to take chances that many might be afraid to. After all, how many women — or men, for that matter — in their mid-seventies would survive being powerbombed through a table? In addition, she entered and won the "Miss Royal Rumble" competition in 2000 and stood faithfully at her best friend's side when Moolah won her final Women's Championship. Young also had a humorous tryst with Mark Henry during that time that fostered some of the most bizarre moments in sports-entertainment history. In later years, Young's career got the recognition it deserved. In 2005, she and several of her contemporaries were profiled in "Lipstick and Dynamite," a documentary film about the early pioneers of women's wrestling. In 2008, Young joined co-star, trainee and late friend Moolah and "Sensational" Sherri Martel in the highest class of Superstars, as she became only the third female (at the time) to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Young was inducted by good friend Pat Patterson, who told some stories that are better left unpublished but just go to show what kind of character Mae Young really was. When Mae Young passed away on Jan. 14, 2014, the entire WWE Universe stood in unison to offer an ovation to a true queen of the canvas. - WWE.com Other media Young appeared in one WWE video game. She made her in-game debut and appearance at WWF No Mercy as an unlockable character. Young has been also featured on the mobile game for iOS and Android, WWE SuperCard. Personal life As a sign of friendship for meeting her longtime friend The Fabulous Moolah, she called her "Lilian" while Moolah referred to her by Young. In 1991, Young quit the wrestling business and moved to California to become a Christian evangelist and take care of her mother, who was sick. She later renounced her evangelist lifestyle. In 1991, she moved in with The Fabulous Moolah and midget wrestler Katie Glass at a house in Columbia, South Carolina, an arrangement which lasted until Moolah's death in November 2007. Death On December 31, 2013, it was reported that Young had been hospitalized. The Charleston Post & Courier erroneously reported that she had died on January 9, 2014. Young's death was announced by the WWE on the morning of January 14 after having died at her home in Columbia, South Carolina. Young was entombed at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Columbia, South Carolina, the same cemetery where her longtime friend The Fabulous Moolah also rests. Legacy Mae Young Classic On April 1, 2017, WWE announced that a women's tournament would be taking place in the summer of 2017 at a press conference during the WrestleMania 33 weekend and that there were going to be a total of 32 wrestlers competing. The tournament was named after Young as an honour to her and it was exclusively for women from both NXT and the independent circuit, it took place on July 13, and 14, 2017, which aired on the WWE Network on August 28 (round 1) and September 4 (round 2, quarterfinals, and semifinals), and the final match aired live on September 12, also on the WWE Network. The finalists of the inaugural tournament were Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane, with the winner being Sane on September 12. In 2018, the tournament turned annual as it was announced a second event for the Mae Young Classic. The winner of the 2018 tournament was Toni Storm on October 28, and she was crowned at the first ever all women's pay–per–view WWE Evolution. Posthumous honors On January 14, 2014, the exact day of Mae's death, WWE pay tribute to her with a posthumous video which included highlights of her career, and another one six days later on January 20. On January 16, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling dedicated their live Genesis episode of Impact Wrestling to the memory of Young. On January 17, SmackDown was also dedicated to her memory. Two weeks later, Shine 16 dedicated to her a 10 bell memorial salute. On March 20, 2017, WWE honoured Young during their Women's History Month, a video was released where she was credited as the women pioneer of professional wrestling and was praised for her contributions to the wrestling business by Stephanie McMahon, the late Fabulous Moolah, Ivory, Beth Phoenix and Pat Patterson. On July 30, multiple superstars from the Mae Young Classic recognized and honoured Mae's legacy and life, among them Lita, Jim Ross, Lacey Evans, Mercedes Martinez, Bianca Belair, Marti Belle and Vanessa Borne. Championships and accomplishments * World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE ** Miss Royal Rumble (1 time) ** Slammy Award for Knucklehead Moment of the Year (2010) Defeating LayCool at Old School Raw ** WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2008) Category:WWE Alumni Category:1999 Debuts Category:2010 Departures Category:Wrestlers Category:American Divas Category:Attitude Era Category:Ruthless Aggression Era Category:SmackDown Divas Category:RAW Divas Category:WWE Hall of Fame Category:Deceased